Gondola car



V.- E. SI'SSON AND A. H. FETTERS. GONDOLA CAR.

APPLICATVION FILED APR. 29, 1919.

1 ,41 1,940, Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

2 $HEETS-SHEET I.

'V. E. SISSON AND A. H. FETTERS.

GONDOLA CAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1919.

Patented Apr. 4, 19.22.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VINTON E. SISSON', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND ARTHUR H. FETTERS, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNORS T0 WALTER P. MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GONDOLA can Application filed April 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VINTON E. Srsson.

and ARTHUR H. Fn'rrnns, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gondola (Jars, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to railway cars of the gondola type, and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved top chord construction for a sheet steel wall of a car of this-type, and more particularly for the end wall of the car. The end wall of a gondola car is subjected to heavy thrusts and pressures of the cargo, due to inertia of the load when the car starts or stops, or in switching. These stresses tend to cause the end to bulge outwardly and the side walls to be drawn in, particularly at the top. This deformation of the car body, undesirable in itself, tends to weaken the structure and consequently shortens the life of the car. Moreover, it sometimes happens that heavy articles, such as rails, girders, and the like, are loaded into the car over the end wall. In fact, it is not unusual to support a girder beam, for example, on the end walls of thecar when it is longer than the car and a flat car is not available. For these reasons the top chord member of the end wall of a gonproper angular relation.

The invention is illustrated in certain pre- 1 ferred embodiments in the accompanying Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4. 1922.

Serial No. 293,419.

the better illustration'of other parts of the structure;

F ig, is a fragmentary elevation of the corner, looking at the same from the side of the car;

Fig. 4 is a view similarto trating a modification;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4.;

Fig. 6 is 'a view similar to Figs. 1 and 4, illustratlng another modification; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6. 4

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring first to- Figs. 1, 2 and 3, both end and side walls of the carare shown as formed of sheet steel plates. The side wall plates are indicated by the numeral 10. Theside wall structures are provided at their upper edges with angular top chord members 11. The end wall of the car consists, in the embodiment of the invention shown in these figures,'of a single steel end sheet 12, which is'preferably strengthened and rigidified by being formed with corrugations 13. The corrugations are shown as running vertically of the sheet, but the sheet might, if desired, be corrugated horizontally or di agonally. The upper edge of the end sheet 15. is provided with a flange 14 which is preferably formed integral with the body of the sheet; that is to say, by. bending over the upper edge of the sheet. This flange has its maximum width at the middle of the car and tapers in width toward the sides thereof. The end sheet 12 is formed on its vertical edges with flanges 15, which overlap and are riveted to the side wall sheets 10. In the preferred construction shown angular Fig.1, illuscorner posts 16 are arranged within the car at the intersection of the end'sheet and side sheets, these posts being riveted to both end and side sheets, as shown. At the upper edge of the end sheet is arranged an angular top chord member 17 having a horizontal flange 18 of maximum width at the middle tapering in width toward its extremities, and a vertical flange 19 depending from the outer edge of the horizontal flange. The horizontal flange of the chord member is secured to the flange 14 by rivets 20 which are preferably iu' the staggered arrangement shown. The extremities of the chord member are bent at angles approximating 11o right angles, so that the ends of the horizontal flange 18 of the chord member Wlll overlap the side wall top chords 11, as shownat 21. Rivets 22 secure the bent extremities of the end top chord member to the horizontal flanges 23 of the sidetop chords 11.

In Figs. 4 and 5, a modification isshown. The top chord member 18 is the same as that shown in the preceding figures. The flange 14 of the end sheet, however, has the same width throughout except at the extreme corners 24, where the flange is sheared off.

A further modification is shown in, Figs. 6 and 7. The flange 14 on the end sheet has substantially the same configuration as flange 14 of Figs. -1, 2 and 3, but the top chord element 18", instead of being a specially pressed member, as in the constructions just described, is a commercially rolled angle bar which is bent to a configuration corresponding to the edge of flange 14", its extremities being bent around and attached to the side walls of the car, as in the constructions previously described.

\Ve claim:

1. In a gondola car, the combination with a metal end wall sheet, of an end top chord structure comprising a flange formed integral with the end sheet, and a n angular member having aleg secured to said flange, and a depending leg, the extremities of said member being bent and secured to the side walls of the car. 4

2. In a gondola car, the combination with a metal end wall sheet, of an end top chord structure having a maximum width at the middle of the car and tapering towards the sides thereof comprising a flange formed in tegral with the end sheet, and an angular member having a leg secured to said flange member being bent and secured to the side walls of the car.

3. In a-gondola ear,,the combination with a sheet metal end wall having at its upper edge means providing a substantially horizontal flange, and an angular chord member secured to said flange .with its extremities bent and anchored to the side walls of the ear.

4. In a gondola ear, the combination of a sheet metal end wall formed at its upper edge with an integral horizontally disposed flange, and an angular chord member secured to said "flange with its extremities bent and anchored to the side walls of the car.

corners of the car and anchored to the side walls thereof.

6. In a gondola car, the combination of a sheet metal end wall formed at its upper edge with an integral horizontal flange, and an angular chord member having a horizontally disposed leg secured to said flange and a depending leg at the outer edge of said horizontal leg, the extremities of said member being bent at the corners of the car and anchoredto the side walls thereof..

7. In a gondola car, the combination of sheet metal side walls provided with angular top chord members, a sheet metal end wall having at its upper edge means providing a horizontal flange, and an angular top chord member for the end of the car, the extremities of which are bent at approximately right angles to the body of said member, one leg of which is horizontal and secured to said flange and'to the side wall top chord membore, the other leg being dependent from the .outer edge of the horizontal leg.

8." In a gondola car, the combination of sheet metal side walls provided with angular top chord members, a sheet metal end wall formed at its upper edge with an integral horizontal flange, and an angular top chord member for the end of the car, the extremities of which are bent at approximately right angles to the body of said member, one leg of which is horizontal and secured to said flange and to the side wall top chords, the other leg being dependent from the outer edge of the horizontal leg.

'9. In a gondola car, the combination of sheet metal side walls having means providing substantially horizontal flanges at their upper edges, a sheet metal end wall having means providing a horizontal flange at its upper edge, and an angular top chord and a depending leg, the extremities of said member for the end of the car, the extremities of which are bent at approximately right angles to the body of Said member, one leg of which is secured to the horizontal flan s of the end and side walls, the other leg ing dependent from the outer edge of the horizontal 1e 10. In a gondo a car, the combination with the-side walls of the car having horizontally disposed .top chord members, of an end wall sheet formed at its upper edge with a flange having a maximum width atthe center of the carandtapering towards the sides thereof, and an angular top chord member for the end of the car having a leg of maximum width at the center of the car and tapering towards the sides thereof, which is secured to said flange, the extremities of said member being bent and secured to said side wall top chords.

11. In a gondola car, the combination of a sheet metal end wall formed at its upper edge with a flange having a maximum width at the center of the car and tapering toward the sides thereof, and an angular top chord member for the end of the car having a leg of maximum Width at the center of the car and tapering toward the sides thereof, which is secured to said flange.

12. In a gondola car, the combination with a metal endwall sheet formed at its upper edge with a flange having a maximum width at the center of the car and tapering toward the sides thereof, and an angular top chord member forthe end of the car having a horizontally disposed leg and a vertical leg, the former of which is secured to said flange.

13. In a gondola car, the combination with a metal end wall sheet formed at its upper edge with a flange having a maximum width at the center of the car and tapering toward the sides thereof, and an angular top chord member for the end of the car bent to conform to the contour of said flange and having a horizontally disposed leg and a vertically disposed leg, the former of which is secured to said flange.

VINTON E. sIssoN. ARTHUR H. FETTERS. 

